The game's PlayStation 4 version is also in the works

Dec 9, 2014 13:15 GMT  ·  By

Sony Online Entertainment will be launching H1Z1, its open-world massively multiplayer online zombie survival game, in Early Access on January 15.

The information comes from a Reddit post where the devs express their excitement and explain why it took longer than expected to get here.

The post notes that, while the game will become available starting January 15, it's far from being a complete title. It's going to be "fun and compelling," but it's not yet finished, and the developer hopes to get the community's support in doing so, in shaping H1Z1's future.

Just like Bohemia Interactive did when it released its zombie survival game in December 2013, Sony Online Entertainment cautions would-be users that they should not purchase the title if what they expect is to enjoy a complete video game.

The team's goal moving into Early Access is to build a large community over time and to let users in and engage them in the development process early on, in order to make sure that the end result is as good as it gets.

Who wants to struggle to survive anyway?

The theme of an escapist universe where life is as bad as it is on the outside, only a little different, is one that's often seen in video games. You have to scavenge for supplies through a perilous wilderness while looking out not only for zombies, but also for other people that might make you sing, dance and strip before putting a bullet in your skull and looting your dead body.

When you die, you start over new, at a complete disadvantage when facing those who have already looted your body once, but still, millions of players flock to these games each day and manage to find the silver lining even in Rust, where you start naked, armed with just a boulder whose only use is to cave in heads.

H1Z1 will be available in two flavors, the basic one granting access to the game, and a more pricey one with extra features, that will grant access to different game mode servers, to be announced later on.

In it for the long haul

Sony Online Entertainment is in it for the long haul, and while the devs state up front that the experience is not going to be as feature-rich as the one in DayZ, their end goal is something different.

H1Z1 aims to create a large-scale world and to engage the community and evoke the feeling of being a survivor in a zombie apocalypse. The entire adventure will start in a map that measures approximately 64 square kilometers, after which the developers will gradually expand it in order to realize their vision of the post-apocalyptic United States.

H1Z1 is also in the works for the PlayStation 4 home entertainment system, although Sony Online Entertainment is yet to announce a release window for it.

H1Z1 screenshots (6 Images)

H1Z1
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